History of Armor

History of Chainmaille

"Chainmaille" is derived from "maille," a French word meaning "mesh or net." The Celts likely invented chainmaille somewhere around 300-500AD. Some sources state that chainmaille may have been invented as early as 300BC. Soldiers in Europe, Rome, Japan, China, India, North Africa, all used forms of ring-based chainmaille. Use of chainmaille peaked during the Dark Ages, High Middle Ages, and the Renaissance period with less technologically advanced areas of the world using it even into the 16th and 17th centuries.Early on, steel or iron rings were linked then welded or riveted together to make a piece of armor that fit a specific portion of a warrior's body. Sometimes rings were stamped out of sheets of metal and interwoven with the open or cut rings that were made from handpulled wire. Today's chainmaille generally uses rings made from factory-made wire then cut with a very thin sharp saw. Many companies made the rings and sell them to chainmaillers while some chainmaillers prefer to buy the wire and make the rings themselves. Chainmaille is still used today. Woodcarvers and meat packers use chainmaille gloves and jackets to prevent injury. Scuba divers use chainmaille to fend off shark bites. Animal control officers and animal trainers use chainamaille to protect against animal bites. British police use chainmaille gloves when confronting people armed with knives. Chainmaille is also used as a screen or draping to prevent shards of metal from harming employees and/or equipment. And if you're a fan of America's Got Talent, you saw ArcAttack use protective chainmaille suits when they performed using tesla coils. (See a performance here.)Pamela makes her own jump rings but she also purchases rings when necessary (most often being jump ring sizes she can't yet make). She's never made a chainmaille garment...but it's on her bucket list!

And Little History on Viking Knit...

Nearly 1,300 years ago, Vikings used long pieces of silver and gold wire to weave ropes. These woven wire ropes were then stretched and made into jewelry for famous and powerful Viking leaders. This wire weaving is called viking knit (or trichinopoly chain).While it is possible to weave wire into body armor, the resulting armor would have been very stiff (swinging a sword would not be possible) and uncomfortable (not that linked ring chainmaille is all that more comfortable *grin*). Dianne Karg Baron knitted a pair of gloves using the viking knit technique for a competition in 2009. It took Dianne two months to complete the gloves that were then made into the focal center for a necklace. You can see the gloves here (scroll about halfway down the page).

Pamela weaves her viking knit using brightly colored wire, Argentium Sterling Silver wire, and the occassional bead or two or three.